Unilever has announced plans to accelerate its sustainable commitments in North America.   The personal care and household conglomerate, which counts beauty brands Dove, TreSemmé, Tigi and St Ives as part of its portfolio, has unveiled a three-part plan to target plastic use in the US. The first stage of the strategy will see the company endeavor to see 50% of its plastic packaging made from post-consumer recycled (PCR) content by the end of 2019. The second step will see ‘How2Recycle' labels that feature clear recycling instructions incorporated into all packaging by 2021. Finally, the company is teaming up with Walmart on an educational program set to launch later this year titled ‘Bring it to the Bin,' which will encourage and inform shoppers about recycling all packaging, including bathroom products. "Today, we are significantly accelerating our plastic packaging commitments in North America and are thrilled to be working alongside other industry leaders like Walmart to push these initiatives forward," said Unilever North America President Amanda Sourry in a statement, calling for wider efforts in reducing plastic waste across the consumer goods industry. "We need collective action to tackle the problem at the source by working with forward-thinking companies like Walmart, advocating for systemic change in government and recycling facilities, working closely with plastics suppliers, and educating consumers. Only together will we answer the urgent call made by the plastics issue we are facing." Unilever has set itself a global target of making all of its packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by the year 2025, as part of the company's ‘Sustainable Living Plan.' The corporation is not the only major beauty player tackling the issue of plastic pollution: the Procter & Gamble-owned hair care brand Herbal Essences joined forces with the waste management giant TerraCycle last month to launch a series of bottles comprising 25% beach plastic, while REN Clean Skincare has pledged to become completely "zero waste" by the year 2021.

German chemical and consumer goods company Henkel has started a free recycling programme across Canada for its Sunlight and Purex plastic detergent pouches in a partnership with TerraCycle.   As part of the programme, customers will receive TerraCycle points that can be redeemed for charity gifts or converted to cash by recycling the empty containers of Sunlight or Purex pouches in the country.   To participate in the programme, customers are required to sign up on the TerraCycle programme page and mail the package using a prepaid shipping label.   The companies will collect the packages, clean and melt them into hard plastic, and remould them to make new recycled products.   Henkel Canada general manager Mario Altan said: “Henkel has been focusing on sustainability in packaging for several decades and is now pleased to partner with TerraCycle to enable this creative approach to help ensure that Sunlight and Purex product packaging can be recycled after the product has been consumed.   “This partnership is part of our commitment that, by 2025, 100% of Henkel’s packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable.”   In 2016, Henkel’s Adhesive Technologies business initially partnered with TerraCycle, enabling US customers to recycle their used adhesives packaging.   Under this partnership, teams from both companies worked collaboratively to develop a process to deactivate the adhesive and remove it from the plastic packaging.   The removed material is then melted and turned into pellets to produce new products such as garbage cans, park benches and outdoor furniture.  

CONWAY — Local musicians are invited to attend a free recycle and restring event at North Conway Music Center in North Conway on Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.   Sponsored by D’Addario and international recycling company TerraCycle, musicians can bring any old instrument strings for recycling and get their electric or acoustic guitars restrung with D’Addario NYXL or Nickel Bronze Acoustic strings. Old strings collected during the event will be recycled through Playback, D’Addario’s free, national recycling program.   “Instrument strings have been a huge waste for us in the past, and it’s great that D’Addario has teamed up with TerraCycle to provide a program for dealers that confronts this issue” says store owner, Brian Charles. “We are looking to minimize landfill usage by collecting used instrument strings, regardless of brand, for recycling.”   North Conway Music Center is a locally owned business for musicians, students, teachers and music lovers. It first started out as a small space offering guitar strings and clarinet reeds to local musicians.   In the past 10 years, it has grown exponentially and now offers many items like woodwinds, books, music, CDs and more. The present location on the North Conway strip is about 4,000 square feet and staffs teachers committed to helping you find answers to your questions.   Playback is the world’s first instrument string recycling program, launched through a partnership between D’Addario and innovative recycling company, TerraCycle. The program is a part of D’Addario’s Players Circle loyalty program and allows registered users to recycle their used strings in exchange for extra Players Circle points.   Musicians attending the recycle and restring events will receive a code at the event, redeemable for extra Players Circle points. Points can be used towards merchandise or donated to the D’Addario Foundation, the company’s nonprofit organization supporting music education in under-served communities.   D’Addario has been consistently committed to the environment, working to reduce their company’s packaging waste and use the most environmentally responsible packaging available on the market. Their partnership with TerraCycle allows them to further reinforce their role as an environmental leader in the music industry.   TerraCycle is a global leader in recycling typically non-recyclable waste, working with companies to implement recycling initiatives and finding solutions for materials otherwise destined for landfill.   Musicians interested in recycling through Playback can go to daddario.com/playback.   For more information on the recycle and restring event, call North Conway Music Center at (603) 356-3562.

- Anne Finlay-Stewart, Editor The Owen Sound Waste Watchers will be out on April 20 to raise awareness of the impact of single-use waste on Owen Sound, local waterways and our world - one coffee cup and cigarette butt at a time. Two events are scheduled for the day - a trash pick up and a "Talkin' Trash Social". Meredith MacFarlane, a Grade 12 student at St. Mary’s High School, will help lead the trash pick-up event on Owen Sound's east harbour.  Merdith's own interest in the environment has grown with her own life experiences. She became a vegan at 15, after learning about the impact of animal agriculture in a geography class. Working in a grocery store, she saw enormous daily waste first hand. On April 1, Meredith made a presentation to Owen Sound City Council to inform them of the April 20th events, and invited Mayor Ian Boddy and all Councillors to join the group at one or both. “Reducing single use plastic and toxic waste is important to me because it is my, and future, generations who will have to deal with the consequences," she said in her presentation. After the April 20 events, Meredith plans to report back to city council with the results , and hopes it will raise awareness and inspire conversations about further actions.  When she goes off to Western to study Sociology in the fall, she expects the next cohort of high school students will continue the work. Last fall a group of 15 concerned citizens organized a trash pick-up along Owen Sound's east harbour wall. In a few hours they had gathered 2,430 cigarette butts, 81 lbs of garbage and 28 lbs of recyclable material. The cigarettes were recycled through Terracycle, Inc, and recyclables and garbage were delivered to the Miller Waste Transfer Station. The group learned more about the toxic impact of waste, especially discarded cigarette butts which are the most littered item in the world. In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report about the impact of the tobacco industry on both health and the environment. “Tossing a cigarette butt on the ground has since become one of the most accepted forms of littering globally and borders on a social norm for many smokers”, the WHO said in its report, adding that around 680 million kilograms of tobacco waste litters the world each year. The 2018 trash pick-up experience opened the eyes of many in the group and changed the way they operate in their personal lives. “I’m not a smoker but for me, it started with no take-out containers, moved to no straws, then to giving bamboo cutlery as Christmas gifts. It’s now moved to adjusting my food list to non-plastic-wrapped items and bringing my own bags to the store,” said Laura Wood, Owen Sound Waste Watcher community group facilitator. Rochelle Byrne from A Greener Future is joining the April 20 events and will speak at the “Talkin’ Trash Social” at the Frog Ponds Café from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. Executive Director & Founder, Rochelle and her team work hand-in-hand with local communities to promote environmental preservation through organized litter cleanups, educational programs, and events. A Greener Future recently participated in the Green Living Show in Toronto, and is working with the City of Hamilton on the 5th Annual Butt Blitz scheduled for April 27, 2019. “I’m especially pleased to be coming to beautiful Owen Sound to work with local citizens in reducing the toxic impact of waste near the harbour. I know we will learn from each other at the social event following the pick-up.” People interested in participating in the 1:00pm to 3:00pm east harbour litter pick-up can register at www.agreenerfuture/events or show up at the north side of the Grey Bruce Health Unit in Owen Sound. For more information about the 4:00pm to 6:00pm Talkin’ Trash Social, visit the Owen Sound Waste Watchers event page on Facebook or email oswastewatchers@gmail.com. Entrance is by Pay What You Can donation and all are welcome.

Loop,ꟷan initiative that links major consumer product brands, retailers and Terracycle,ꟷis generating a lot of excitement since its announcement in January at the Davos World Economic Forum. Loop, which will actually launch in May, is a shopping concept that will deliver common household food products in packaging that is made to be used multiple times. The system will be tested in Paris and New York as a first step, with London, Toronto and Tokyo expected to be added later in 2019.

Jill and Carlene share their favourite makeup brands leading the charge in recycling, re-filling and zero waste packaging. They also hat tip the big beauty brands committing to zero waste manufacturing and next level recycling programs in the year to come, like TerraCycle and its new re-fill delivery pilot project, Loop. It’s all part of winning over a growing generation who bases their beauty buying on their values as much as product performance.

Have you been bitten by the KonMari bug? I assume you know what the KonMari method is because Marie Kondo took the world by storm AGAIN when her TV show on Netflix, based on her best-selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, launched this winter.   If you’ve been living under a rock and/or unfamiliar with the tidying guru, the first place you start your untidying journey is in the closet!       According to the chief design officer for California Closets, the average person wears only 20% of their clothing 80% of the time. The idea is that we whittle it down to just the 20% we love and wear ALL the time.   As you go through your closet, you’re probably left with a lot of items that don’t spark joy and you’re not sure what to do with them.   I’ve rounded up a list of places for you to donate and recycle your old clothes.   You might want to box them up and drop them off at your nearest thrift store, but I’d really urge you not to. This is a great blog post by my friend Leah from Style Wise.   She’s the manager at a thrift store and talks a bit about the complexities of dropping off all of your clothes. Not everything we drop off at thrift stores is going to be sold, recycled, or even put on store shelves.   There’s not enough space, depends on styles, depends on quality, and whether or not the thrift store has partnered with a textile recycling facility.   What’s most important is to make sure we’re donating items is in GOOD CONDITION.        

swap:

  If you have clothes in good condition, maybe call up some of your friends and host a clothing swap. If you’re looking for tips on hosting your own clothing swap, check out this post where I chatted with Martha Stewart.  

sell:

  If you have clothes in good condition and in current styles, you might want to consider selling some of your clothes. You can do it on apps and websites like Poshmark, eBay or check out Bunz an app for sharing, swapping, and trading in your local area.   If you want to take a more hands off approach, you could also bring your clothes to a local consignment shop. You can take a look at some of my favorite consignment shops in my Going Zero Waste Guide to the Bay Area.  

donate:

  When it comes to donating, try to find specific charities for specific items. I talk about this at length in my book 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste.   Women’s Work Wear:   Have work attire? Check out Dress for Success.   “Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.”         Bras:   If you have a bra that’s a bit too tight or a bit too big, check out I Support the Girls. It’s also a great organization to donate your leftover pads and tampons, if you still have a stock pile from when you switched over to zero waste period products.   “I Support the Girls collects and distributes donations of new and gently used bras, and individually sealed tampons and maxi pads to women and girls nationally and internationally.   “Whether they be homeless, refugees, in transitional housing, or fleeing domestic violence, women and girls should never have to compromise on dignity.”   Men’s Work Wear:   Looking to donate men’s suits? Check out Career Gear.   From their website, “We promote the economic independence of low-income men by providing financial literacy training, a network of support, professional attire, career development tools, job-readiness and essential life-skills training that help men enter the workforce, stay employed and become role models and mentors to their families and communities.”         Bridal:   Are you looking to donate your wedding dress? Can I recommend Brides Across America?   From their website, “Brides Across America (BAA) is a non-profit committed to loving one another by gifting weddings and wedding gowns to our military & first responders.   Whether it's for love of country or love at the altar, our military and first responders deserve our very best. Since 2008, Brides Across America has played a role in making their dreams come true by giving a military or first responder bride a free wedding gown during an “Operation Wedding Gown Event”.   To date we have gifted over 20,000 wedding dresses and over 20 free weddings. Each year we host dozens of Operation Wedding Gown giveaway events at participating bridal salons nationwide. Events are held in July (around Independence Day) and November (around Veteran's Day).”         Prom:   Do you have some formal gowns, clutches, or sparkly earrings collecting dust in the back of your closet? Check out W Girls, Project G.L.A.M.   From their website, “WGIRLS Inc. created Project Granting Lasting Amazing Memories (G.L.A.M.) to provide economically disadvantaged young women with prom dresses and accompanying accessories so they are able to enjoy the rite of passage of high school prom. To date, WGIRLS Inc. has outfitted over 14,000 young women in need for prom."   Coats:   Have a few extra coats? Maybe one or two your kids have outgrown? Check out One Warm Coat.   From their website, “One Warm Coat is a national non-profit organization that works to provide a free, warm coat to any person in need.   “One Warm Coat supports individuals, groups, companies and organizations across the country by providing the tools and resources needed to hold a successful coat drive. Coats are distributed in the communities where they were collected, to children and adults in need, without charge, discrimination or obligation.   Since One Warm Coat’s inception in 1992, we have worked with our volunteers to host more than 31,000 coat drives and have given away more than 5 million coats.”         Kids:   I feel like kids are best known for one thing - growing quickly. There are numerous charities and organizations that accept gently used kids clothing and toys.  

• If you’re in Los Angeles, try Baby2Baby.
• If you’re in NYC or Boston, check out Room to Grow.
• If you’re in Washington, check out Clothes for Kids.

  For something a little less location specific, try your Ronald McDonald House chapter or your local Women’s and Children center. Shoes:   Have some shoes in good condition? Check out From the Sole.   From their website, “We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on collecting, refurbishing and giving away shoes & clothing to the homeless in New York City and other metropolitan areas.”        

recycle:

  Now, what do you do when you have a bunch of clothing that isn’t fit for swapping, selling, or donation? Then it comes down to textile recycling.   Now, with all recycling, I’m a little wary. Recycling is not a charity, it’s a business and it relies on having a market to sell the products.   So, just because we can recycle it doesn’t mean it will be recycled. This is why it’s better to reduce, reuse and THEN recycle.   Upcycle:   Cotton t-shirts make great rags. Think about cutting your tees into a squares of fabric for cleaning, napkins, hankies, etc.   Compost:   If your clothing is made from natural fibers like cotton, wool, silk, etc. you can compost it. However, the threads used to stitch it will 99% of the time be synthetic.     Textile Recycling:

• If you’re in San Francisco, there’s a textile recycling program run through the SF Department of the Environment.
• I:CO is working towards closing the loop in the clothing industry and recycle textiles into yarn, shoe soles, etc.
• Blue Jeans Go Green is dedicated towards recycling denim and turning it into insulation in homes. Madewell, Jcrew, Rag and Bone, they pop up in stores all across the US.
• Regrind your shoes with Nike regrind and turn them into basketball courts or tracks.
• Check out your local reuse center like the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse a lot of towns have these, so maybe check around to donate scrap fabric.
• TerraCycle has a zero waste box specifically for textiles but it is spendy!

fixing the cause:

  While donating and recycling is great, I can’t leave this blog post without mentioning that we should change our consumer habits.   It’s important to reduce the amount we buy, hone in on our personal styles, shop only with lists, implement a buy ban like waiting thirty days, and stop shopping as a hobby. I hope you’ve found this blog post helpful and will use it as a reference the next time you clean out your closet!